Synopsis
Knox Jagger. The name inspires resent in every male at Sinclair University, want in every female, and contempt in Charlie Chase.
Charlie can be summed up in three words: independent, independent, and independent. To Charlie, Knox epitomizes everything that’s wrong with college males: prolific one-night stands, drunken senseless fights, and a body that hints at prioritizing gym time over study time.
As an up-and-coming writer for Sinclair University’s newspaper, Charlie’s tasked with getting to the bottom of who’s been dropping little white pills into girls’ drinks at parties. In an ocean of All-American boys sporting polo shirts and innocent smiles, Knox is the obvious suspect. As evidence piles up against the bad boy of Sinclair, Charlie becomes more and more certain it isn’t Knox. But when her drink is dosed at a party and she wakes up on Knox’s couch the next morning, Charlie’s left with more questions than answers when it comes to Knox Jagger.
How can Charlie ever hope to uncover the truth behind a guy so closed off he’s become . . .
Hard Knox.
Charlie can be summed up in three words: independent, independent, and independent. To Charlie, Knox epitomizes everything that’s wrong with college males: prolific one-night stands, drunken senseless fights, and a body that hints at prioritizing gym time over study time.
As an up-and-coming writer for Sinclair University’s newspaper, Charlie’s tasked with getting to the bottom of who’s been dropping little white pills into girls’ drinks at parties. In an ocean of All-American boys sporting polo shirts and innocent smiles, Knox is the obvious suspect. As evidence piles up against the bad boy of Sinclair, Charlie becomes more and more certain it isn’t Knox. But when her drink is dosed at a party and she wakes up on Knox’s couch the next morning, Charlie’s left with more questions than answers when it comes to Knox Jagger.
How can Charlie ever hope to uncover the truth behind a guy so closed off he’s become . . .
Hard Knox.
Buy Links
Review
Ahhhhh new Nicole Williams! You know the GIF of Jeremy Renner that everyone uses to show how excited they are? You know, this one…
Not to overuse the same gif that many others do, but that was exactly what I looked like when the ARC hit our inbox. Can’t breathe? Check. Can’t stop clapping like a 13 year old at a Backstreet Boys concert? Check. Can’t stop jumping up and down? Absolutely check. Of course, Hard Knox did not disappoint. God, this book! It was so much fun to read. Every page was exciting and fresh. It was clever and witty, yet so heartbreaking plus a touch of mystery. It is perfection rolled up in 300ish pages. Nicole Williams has done it again, y’all.
Short summary - Meet Charlie, the sarcastic, intelligent, over the top journalist for a college newspaper. She’s writing a story and needs to research the amount of alcohol consumption at a party. That leads her to meeting Knox Jagger. Knox is the resident bad boy of Sinclair University. Everyone knows him, everyone loves him, or in some cases, some people hate him. One way or another, he’s the playboy that every girl wants. He’s got a reputation to uphold. A few things happen, I won’t go into it, but after Charlie being drugged twice in two weeks at different parties, she and Knox join up to investigate and figure out who’s trying to get to her. This leads to them becoming roomies and…yeah, you get the idea. But it goes much deeper than two roommates who seem so opposite. So much deeper. Charlie’s given an assignment that could ruin everything and Knox has a past that he has a hard time overcoming.
These characters are so freaking perfect for each other, even though they couldn’t be more opposite from the outside. I want to be Charlie Chase when I grow up. She’s one of the niftiest characters in a book, and I love her for it. She doesn’t back down. She’s not afraid. She’s such a smartass, but she’s so smart about it. She’s quick-witted. I could go on and on. I love her. And Knox. Give me a moment to swoon before I type a single thing about that man. On the outside, he’s the stereotypical college bad boy. He’s overconfident, he sleeps around with evverryyonnee, and he doesn’t have a care in the world. You’re also sort of led to believe that he’s up to no good, in an illegal serious sort of way. My, how wrong I was when assuming all of the above. He’s not that AT ALL. But it’s uncovering all of those layers and seeing the true Knox Jagger that will make your heart melt. The guy is so broken. He’s strong. Under it all, he’s caring, protective, and romantic as all get out. There were a few lines that made me stop, reread, and swoon…again and again. I also love any scene where Knox and Charlie go head to head with their one liners. They hate letting each other get the last word, and many of their interactions because of that are hilarious. Knox just went on my top 5 book boyfriend list. He’s a keeper, that one.
I love Nicole Williams, in case you didn’t catch that up top. She writes stories that tug on all of your emotions, from laughing so hard you’re snorting to tears running down your face. Hard Knox was no different. She makes you fall in love with these characters. She makes you feel and believe in them, even when the story itself is telling you not to. She’ll keep you on the edge of your seat with this one. There was no down time or skimming. There wasn’t a lull in the story. Every single chapter will wow you and keep you excited to learn what’s next for these two characters.
Overall, I couldn’t put it down. Physically, couldn’t put it down. It’s such a captivating story and it doesn’t let go. It’s such an easy read because of that, and time just flies by. You’ll find yourself so enthralled with their story and what might happen, you won’t even realize that you read the entire book in one sitting until you’re finished. At that point, you’ll be heartbroken it’s over. While so much of the book is fun and games, there’s a lot of romance, tension, mystery, and angst thrown in there. I couldn’t get enough and love love loved Hard Knox.
<3 Erin
Short summary - Meet Charlie, the sarcastic, intelligent, over the top journalist for a college newspaper. She’s writing a story and needs to research the amount of alcohol consumption at a party. That leads her to meeting Knox Jagger. Knox is the resident bad boy of Sinclair University. Everyone knows him, everyone loves him, or in some cases, some people hate him. One way or another, he’s the playboy that every girl wants. He’s got a reputation to uphold. A few things happen, I won’t go into it, but after Charlie being drugged twice in two weeks at different parties, she and Knox join up to investigate and figure out who’s trying to get to her. This leads to them becoming roomies and…yeah, you get the idea. But it goes much deeper than two roommates who seem so opposite. So much deeper. Charlie’s given an assignment that could ruin everything and Knox has a past that he has a hard time overcoming.
These characters are so freaking perfect for each other, even though they couldn’t be more opposite from the outside. I want to be Charlie Chase when I grow up. She’s one of the niftiest characters in a book, and I love her for it. She doesn’t back down. She’s not afraid. She’s such a smartass, but she’s so smart about it. She’s quick-witted. I could go on and on. I love her. And Knox. Give me a moment to swoon before I type a single thing about that man. On the outside, he’s the stereotypical college bad boy. He’s overconfident, he sleeps around with evverryyonnee, and he doesn’t have a care in the world. You’re also sort of led to believe that he’s up to no good, in an illegal serious sort of way. My, how wrong I was when assuming all of the above. He’s not that AT ALL. But it’s uncovering all of those layers and seeing the true Knox Jagger that will make your heart melt. The guy is so broken. He’s strong. Under it all, he’s caring, protective, and romantic as all get out. There were a few lines that made me stop, reread, and swoon…again and again. I also love any scene where Knox and Charlie go head to head with their one liners. They hate letting each other get the last word, and many of their interactions because of that are hilarious. Knox just went on my top 5 book boyfriend list. He’s a keeper, that one.
I love Nicole Williams, in case you didn’t catch that up top. She writes stories that tug on all of your emotions, from laughing so hard you’re snorting to tears running down your face. Hard Knox was no different. She makes you fall in love with these characters. She makes you feel and believe in them, even when the story itself is telling you not to. She’ll keep you on the edge of your seat with this one. There was no down time or skimming. There wasn’t a lull in the story. Every single chapter will wow you and keep you excited to learn what’s next for these two characters.
Overall, I couldn’t put it down. Physically, couldn’t put it down. It’s such a captivating story and it doesn’t let go. It’s such an easy read because of that, and time just flies by. You’ll find yourself so enthralled with their story and what might happen, you won’t even realize that you read the entire book in one sitting until you’re finished. At that point, you’ll be heartbroken it’s over. While so much of the book is fun and games, there’s a lot of romance, tension, mystery, and angst thrown in there. I couldn’t get enough and love love loved Hard Knox.
<3 Erin
Author Info
I’m the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of the CRASH series (HarperTeen, S&S UK), LOST & FOUND series, UP IN FLAMES (S&S UK), The EDEN TRILOGY, and a handful of others. I write stories about everyday kinds of people who find themselves in extraordinary kinds of situations. I tell love stories with happy endings because I believe in making the world a better place, and that’s one tiny way I can make it so. I’m one of those people who still believe in true love and soul mates, and would rather keep my head in the clouds any day over having my feet firmly on the ground.